ConnectedText vs. Scrivener

Posted by JBfrom
Mar 20, 2012 at 10:46 PM

It’s very simple to prove the superiority of wiki to tree for bodies of longform text.

Just count the number of entities to be considered when writing and placing an article.

First, remember that longform text richly interconnects in all directions.

So with a tree, you have to pick one “path” and remember where each piece goes in relation to that path. This leaves you potentially considering the contents of several other articles while attempting to write a new one. This is because the topic is defined not solely by the title, but by the title’s place within the hierarchy, the other related titles, and the content included under those titles.

With a wiki, each item stands on its own, pathless, defined solely by its topic heading. Much simpler.

I think this is a major reason why I stalled out on writing cyborganize.org on Wordpress. Geometrically increasing complexity and frustration due to poor info design. Ironic, eh? Or just stupid.

Oh well, I am more proud of my occasional moments of lucid thought, than ashamed of the long valleys of non-sentience between.